Arda 4e - Scales of War

The party arrived in the Elsir Vale. Shortly after their arrival, as they discussed where they wished to concentrate their efforts in exploration, the city of Brindol was attacked by hobgoblins under command of Sinruth. When the dust settled, the party was asked by Councilman Eoffram Troyas to rescue seven kidnapped citizens of Brindol, and recover several treasures stolen by Sinruth’s hobgoblins from the Brindol Hall of Heroes.

After the party tracked the invading band to the ruined castle of Rivenroar and began exploring, it became apparent that the dungeon was home to a small group of undead in league with Sinruth as well as a small cult of Vecna in the process of raising more undead.

Finally, the party prevailed, defeating Sinruth and his unholy allies and, while Kartenix, the captain of the Brindol guard, did not survive his captivity, the party was able to rescue the six remaining kidnapped: Jalissa the acolyte of Ioun, the stolid dwarven apothecary Adronsius, the shaken cook Mirtala, Sertanian the Castellan of the Hall of Heroes, Kartenix’s son Thurann, and the old herbalist Zerriksa.

A short encounter, a swamp, evil frog-men, and the party's genesis

(OOC: Dated a short time prior to Adventure Log start for ease of management.)

The adventuring party first gathered together in the small town of Silver Creek. Two humans traveling to the Elsir Vale, Calwin (a swordmage) and Aldrik (a shaman), stopped over in Silver Creek for a stormy night. While waiting for the weather to pass, they met the eladrin psion Sykora and the tiefling tactician Triumph, and heard some reports of attacks by unknown assailants on travelers and caravans. As they discussed options, they found the kobold warlock Abit the XVIII lurking around the tavern, showing determination uncommon among his kind. He asked to accompany them in his quest for draconic power to overcome his curse.

The party chose to investigate the assaults on Silver Creek’s travelers together, considering safety in numbers possibly more important than their own individual goals and concerns. Finding a ruined keep in the swamp near Silver Creek, the party was set upon by the attackers, now revealed to be bullywugs, vicious frog-men with a taste for humanoid flesh and a hatred for all intelligent life other than themselves.

At the bottom of the chambers beneath the ruined keep, the party found a magical staff somehow linked to the Elemental Chaos, keeping a miniscule portal open from that plane and allowing mud to seep in and inundate the surrounding region (likely being the cause of the swamp in the first place). Arcane efforts succeeded in closing the portal after the party defeated the staff’s self-appointed guardians, and the party took the repaired staff with them back to Silver Creek.

Upon completion of their investigation, the party chose to remain together at least as far as Brindol, as they all had reasons to travel to the Elsir Vale.